Madness
}} Vaarsuvius explains the magnitude of the vengeance which has been wreaked upon the Ancient Black Dragon. Cast * Vaarsuvius (Soul Spliced) ◀ ▶ * Qarr ◀ ▶ * The IFCC ** Cedrik ◀ ▶ ** Lee ◀ ▶ ** Nero ◀ ▶ * Ganonron ◀ ▶ * Jephton the Unholy ◀ ▶ * Ancient Black Dragon (as reanimated head) ◀ ▶ * Haerta Bloodsoak ◀ ▶ * Duke Blue Devil * Sparky the Sun Devil Transcript Black Dragon: No...No! Spliced souls: Yes. Yes. Yes. Vaarsuvius: Yes. Vaarsuvius: Every living creature that directly shares your bloodline is dead. Vaarsuvius: Every living creature that is directly related to any of those creatures is also dead. Vaarsuvius: Anyone who could possibly make a claim to be part of your family is gone now. Vaarsuvius: Given you kind's low rate of reproduction, I estimate that I have eliminated approximately one-quarter of the black dragons on the planet. Spliced soul: A lot of unguarded treasure... Spliced soul: They should melt it down and make a statue of you! Spliced soul: Out of gratitude! And fear! Undead black dragon: You...you MONSTER! Vaarsuvius: We are all in the Monster Manual somewhere, are we not? My entry lies between Elemental and Ethereal Filcher. Vaarsuvius: Now no one will come to avenge your defeat. No one will lament your passing. Vaarsuvius: Think about the fate you have brought upon your family as you suffer in the afterlife. Spliced soul: You started it anyway. Spliced soul: Well, sort of. Spliced soul: You started this part of it, at least. Vaarsuvius: This—and no less—is the price of threatening my family. Vaarsuvius: Disintegrate. Cut to the Nine Hells where the IFCC watches surprised and silent. Qarr: Wow...you guys weren't kidding when you said the elf's alignment might be affected. Lee: Actually... Cedrik: ...we were Lee: The truth is, those three souls have absolutely no power to alter the elf's alignment or actions at all. Cedrik: They have about as much effect on what the elf does as a cheerleader has on the final score of a game. Nero: A good way to get a decent person to do something horrible is to convince them that they're not responsible for their actions. Cedrik: It's like if you were at a party where someone has been drinking beer that they didn't know was non-alcoholic. They might seem drunk anyway, simply because they were expecting it. Nero: Geez, can you come up with one similie[sic] that isn't a thinly-disguised reference to your university days? Cedrik: Sorry... Cedrik: I just always have my old college buddies on my mind at this time of year for some reason. A snapshot of Cedrik with the Duke Blue Devils mascot and the Arizona State Sun Devils mascot. D&D Context * Vaarsuvius' quip in panel 4 refers to the entry for "Elf" in the D&D Monster Manual. ** Ethereal Filchers are bizarre inhabitants of the ethereal plane. ** Elementals of various sorts come from the Inner Planes. * Disintegrate is a 6th-level spell for sorcerers and wizards, which causes up to 40d6 damage (as V would while Soul Spliced). It is worth noting that this is also the spell which V used to kill the dragon's child. Trivia * The last two panels and the title draw the reader's attention to the fact that at the date of this strip's publication, the annual NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament (a.k.a "March Madness") was underway and had progressed to the regional round ("sweet sixteen"). * The two college mascots in the final panel both represent colleges which have historically had strong basketball programs. They are: ** The Duke Blue Devil ** Sparky the Sun Devil, the mascot of Arizona State University. External Links * 640}} View the comic * 108019}} View the discussion thread Category:Uses Disintegrate Category:Vaarsuvius Makes a Deal with the Devil(s)